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definitions

founder

1
[foun-der]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR founder ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who founds or establishes.

Origin of founder

1
Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at found2, -er1

founder

2
[foun-der]

verb (used without object)

(of a ship, boat, etc.) to fill with water and sink.
to fall or sink down, as buildings, ground, etc.: Built on a former lake bed, the building has foundered nearly ten feet.
to become wrecked; fail utterly: The project foundered because public support was lacking.
to stumble, break down, or go lame, as a horse: His mount foundered on the rocky path.
to become ill from overeating.
Veterinary Pathology. (of a horse) to suffer from laminitis.

verb (used with object)

to cause to fill with water and sink: Rough seas had foundered the ship in mid-ocean.
Veterinary Pathology. to cause (a horse) to break down, go lame, or suffer from laminitis.

noun

Veterinary Pathology. laminitis.

Origin of founder

2
1300–50; Middle English foundren < Middle French fondrer to plunge to the bottom, submerge < Vulgar Latin *fundorāre, derivative of *fundor-, taken as stem of Latin fundus bottom
Related formsun·foun·dered, adjectiveun·foun·der·ing, adjective

Synonyms for founder

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR founder ON THESAURUS.COM
3. collapse, perish, succumb, topple, sink; flop.

founder

3
[foun-der]

noun

a person who founds or casts metal, glass, etc.

Origin of founder

3
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at found3, -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for founder

designer, patron, benefactor, creator, builder, author, planner, architect, organizer, inventor, abort, stumble, originator, beginner, generator, constructor, maker, initiator, framer, sprawl

Examples from the Web for founder

Contemporary Examples of founder

Historical Examples of founder

  • He was the founder of our family--though, of course, he oughtn't to have been.

    Viviette

    William J. Locke

  • If we leave her alone, mayhap she will founder, and then how will the women be saved?

    Fair Margaret

    H. Rider Haggard

  • When vessels are about to founder, the rats are said to leave 'em.

  • The sons of the founder were, like their father, distinguished for their mechanical ability.

    Self-Help

    Samuel Smiles

  • Filled with the idea that the ship was about to founder, Madden stared about.

British Dictionary definitions for founder

founder

1

noun

a person who establishes an institution, company, society, etc

Word Origin for founder

C14: see found ²

founder

2

verb (intr)

(of a ship) to sink
to break down or failthe project foundered
to sink into or become stuck in soft ground
to fall in or give way; collapse
(of a horse) to stumble or go lame
archaic (of animals, esp livestock) to become ill from overeating

noun

vet science another name for laminitis

Word Origin for founder

C13: from Old French fondrer to submerge, from Latin fundus bottom; see found ²

usage

Founder is sometimes wrongly used where flounder is meant: this unexpected turn of events left him floundering (not foundering)

founder

3

noun

  1. a person who makes metal castings
  2. (in combination)an iron founder

Word Origin for founder

C15: see found ³
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for founder
v.

early 14c., from Old French fondrer "collapse; submerge, sink, fall to the bottom," from fond "bottom," from Latin fundus "bottom, foundation" (see fund (n.)). Related: Foundered; foundering.

n.1

"one who establishes, one who sets up or institutes something," mid-14c., from Anglo-French fundur, Old French fondeor, from Latin fundator, agent noun from fundare (see found (v.1)).

n.2

"one who casts metal," c.1400, agent noun from found (v.2).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
founder in Medicine

founder

[foun′dər]

v.

To stumble, especially to stumble and go lame. Used of horses.
To become ill from overeating. Used of livestock.
To be afflicted with laminitis. Used of horses.

n.

laminitis
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.